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I've Gotta Be Me
I've Gotta Be Me by Sammy Davis Jr., ''is featured in Born This Way (Episode), the eighteenth episode of Season Two. It's sung by Finn Hudson and danced to by Mike Chang, as an assignment about insecurities. Finn sings it to come to terms with his dancing abilities after breaking Rachel's nose. By the end of the performance, Finn says that he feels like his dancing improved which the New Directions didn't respond to. This comes up as a problem in Season 3, as Finn has to go into Will's booty camp program. It first appeared in the Broadway musical Golden Rainbow and sung originally sung by ''Sammy Davis, Jr, recorded the song in 1968 while the musical was still running on Broadway, altering the title slightly from "I've Got To Be Me" to "I've Gotta Be Me", and released it as a single late in the year. This version of the song was a surprise hit for Davis, since the musical was not among the more successful shows on Broadway that season. Lyrics Whether I'm right or whether I'm wrong Whether I find a place in this world or never belong I've gotta be me, I've gotta be me What else can I be but what I am I want to live, not merely survive And I won't give up this dream of life that keeps me alive I've gotta be me, I've gotta be me The dream that I see makes me what I am That faraway prize, a world of success Is waiting for me if I heed the call I won't settle down, won't settle for less As long as there's a chance that I can have it all I'll go it alone, that's how it must be I can't be right for somebody else if I'm not right for me I gotta be free, I've gotta be free Daring to try, to do it or die, I've gotta be me (Instrumental Break) That faraway prize, a world of success Is waiting for me if I heed the call I won't settle down, won't settle for less As long as there's a chance that I can have it all I'll go it alone, that's how it must be I can't be right for somebody else if I'm not right for me I gotta be free, I just gotta be free Daring to try, to do it or die I've gotta ... be me! Reception The song was considered to be "shockingly adorable" by Brett Berk from Vanity Fair, who gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.Brett Berk's review Michael Slezak from The Atlantic was more critical about the song, writing: "The jazz band arrangement and the Mike-teaches-Finn-some-moves choreography was cute, I guess, but it’s not a good sign that I spent half the number focusing on Mike’s matching green t-shirt and shoe laces." He criticized the song's relevancy, opining: "In an episode about confronting one’s greatest teenage insecurities, I wonder if there might have been a better choice for a solo than the popular football player with the cheerleader girlfriend lamenting his inability to dance." He ultimately gave the performance a 'B-'.Michael Slezak's review Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone wrote: "In theory it's charming — and there are definitely moments of the "I can dance/You can't dance" exchange that were enjoyable — but we couldn't ever imagine this song as something Finn would have voluntarily picked."Erica Futterman's review Videos thumb|300px|rightthumb|left|300px Reference Category:Glee Songs Category:Season Two Songs Category:Songs sung by Finn Hudson